I've been tagged by one of my writing buddies, Laura Brown, who I've introduced y'all to before, to participate in The Liebster Award: 10 Questions Blog Hop. Confession time: I have no idea what "The Liebster Award" stands for. I'm going to have to Google it or something, so hopefully it's nothing bad.

In the meantime, I've been given ten questions about my current work in progress (WIP), which is DANIEL THE DRAW-ER 2 (working title). When all's said and done, I'll tag someone else, and you can go read about what they're working on. Sounds like fun, right?

Here goes...1) How did you come up with your WIP’s title? DANIEL THE DRAW-ER 2? It was a sequel to DANIEL THE DRAW-ER. In other words, not tricky stuff. In case you were wondering, I do actually have a couple of ideas up my sleeve for legit titles, but they're gonna stay up my sleeve for a little while longer.

2) What motivates you to write?Having story left to tell is what motivates me to write. I can feel it almost physically pressing down on my shoulders. That's not right and there's probably a medication or a nice white jacket for that, but it's true. Other writers may know what I mean.

3) Do you find yourself putting past experiences in your book? Give an example!Yes. In this story, the main character, Daniel, goes to summer camp. A lot of his experiences with a certain cootie-infested girl who shall (for now) remain nameless are loosely based on one of my summer camp adventures. Except I was the cootie-infested girl and he was a boy wearing an "I've Got Gas" t-shirt. Nothing's more romantic than announcing your flatulence on your t-shirt, amiright?

4) What is your main character’s biggest obstacle?Daniel sees the world in such a unique, funny way, and I'm totally along for the ride. That said, he's definitely not a perfect character. He's inflexible and not so good with change.

5) What is your crutch word that you always have to go back and delete because you use it too many times?I lovelovelove the word "just". And about a bajillion other words. "That" is another fave. I try to remove as many of those as I can during editing.

6) Who is your author role model and why?J. K. Rowling. I think about her slogging away, day after day, trying to make a better life for her family through words. Her words have touched so many people, essentially making a better life for them, too. While I'll never be J. K. Rowling, I know what it's like to be at the bottom looking up, and someday I hope to look back at the struggle with a triumphant grin.

7) What happens in your favorite scene from your WIP?It's really hard to pick a favorite scene--it's like picking a favorite child--but I do have one. (Scene or child, I'll never tell. Heehee!)

One of the sections I really love from this story is when Daniel meets the camp cook, Miss Gunderson, and she tries to feed him Shepherd's Pie. Daniel's resistance and her insistence make the whole scene. I can't give specifics, but I hope you'll all read it for yourself when the story's published.

8) Please share a favorite line from your manuscript!ONE LINE?!!!! Are you crazy? That's even harder than picking a favorite kid--err, I mean, scene. Here's one. Not the favorite, but an exchange that makes me smile.

“Bon voyage, boys!” He waves as we glide away.“You kiss your mother with that mouth?” I call back.

9) Are you doing NaNoWriMo this year?NaNoWriMo is like a drug for me. This year I decided to sit it out and, instead, edit one of my FIVE novels (most of them NaNoWriMo projects from previous years). I'm going through withdrawal, though. It's not pretty.

10) What advice do you have for other authors?Write, first. My writing has changed so much with practice. I look back at my first novel and cringe, but everyone has to start somewhere.

And, second, find a group to bounce your ideas off of... critique partners or groups, beta readers, etc. If you can find other writers who know what they're doing and are willing to mentor newer writers without beating them up, even better. My writing wouldn't be nearly as good without friends willing to point out my flaws in a constructive manner.

Now that I've answered my ten questions, I'm tagging another of my fantastic writing buddies, the lovely Vanessa Eccles. And YOU. I'm tagging you.Here's a list of suggestion for ten questions you can answer on your own blog, or pick and choose from the ones I answered above:

1. What is your WIP about? 2. What is your main character's greatest strength?3. What is your main character's greatest flaw?4. Name your main character's favorite food and drink.5. What animal would your main character be and why?6. If you and your main character were in a coffee shop, what would you discuss?7. Who would your main character like to date/marry and why?8. What superhero does your antagonist act like? Why?9. If you made a music video starring your antagonist, what would be his or her song?10. What fictional character do you like the most and why?

If you go ahead and participate in this hop, let me know by commenting with the link to your blog in the comments section below. I'd love to stop by and visit!